The autumn wind blew by, stirring up yellow dust all over the sky.
On the command platform, Li Qinzai tortured their souls, and the emperor and his ministers were stunned.
If an iron piece is nailed to the horse's hoof, will the war horse's hoof still wear out?
Such a simple logic, everyone understands it. It seems like a very easy trick to think of, but why has no one thought of it for thousands of years?
Li Zhi and Empress Wu on the stage looked stunned. After Li Ji and the veterans were stunned for a short time, their breathing gradually became heavier, their faces turned red, and their expressions gradually became excited.
They are all generals who have experienced hundreds of battles. They are naturally more familiar with armies and war horses than the emperor. As soon as Li Qinzai finished speaking, they immediately made a judgment in their minds.
"... Nail an iron piece on the horse's hoof?" Li Ji asked with a trembling tone.
Li Qinzai had already seen everyone's expressions in his eyes, and when he saw the excitement on everyone's faces, the stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.
It seems that horseshoes have not been invented in the Tang Dynasty, otherwise these old killers would not have such expressions.
Fortunately, okay, I didn’t make a fool of myself.
The atmosphere on the stage was very strange. Li Qinzai felt like a powder keg about to explode. Although he didn't understand why the horseshoe made them so excited, Li Qinzai was still afraid that the powder keg would suddenly explode.
So Li Qinzai said cautiously: "Yes, nailing an iron piece can solve the problem of horse hoof wear. The iron piece is not difficult to make, and a blacksmith with a little bit of skill can make it..."
Su Dingfang said in a deep voice: "Little boy, you don't dare to talk nonsense in front of the emperor. Are you sure that after nailing the iron pieces on, the horseshoes will not be worn out?"
Li Qinzai said firmly: "I am willing to issue a military order. If the horse's hoofs are still worn out, I am willing to put my head on my neck to apologize."
He was sure of this, because it had been confirmed thousands of years later.
If you are sure of something, you might as well be a little more arrogant and talk more fully, so as to highlight your image as a superior person.
Although he is not interested in imperial power, if he can leave a good impression in front of the emperor, it will not be a bad thing for him to live a life of eating and waiting for death in the future. Jian Zai will save a lot of trivial troubles in the emperor's heart.
I wanted to take Xue Ne's head and issue a military order, but Xue Ne's father, Xue Rengui, was also present and seemed a little rude...
In the crowd, Li Ji carefully studied Li Qinzai's expression. Seeing his confident look, Li Ji frowned and quickly glanced at the faces of Li Zhi and Empress Wu.
Then Li Ji stood up, stroking his beard and said in a deep voice: "You are so stupid! To serve you in the country, you only have to be loyal and brave. You don't have to swear by your head on your neck. Right or wrong, just take the horse and try it out." Try it and you will know whether it is true or false.”
Everyone grinned when they heard this.
Although he clearly reprimanded his grandson, he actually excused him. After all, the old prince still loved his grandson.
Li Zhi also smiled, and after looking at each other with Empress Wu, he smiled and said: "What the old general said is true. Li Qinzai has made suggestions for the country, and there is no need to use his head on his neck to make decisions. I am not a tyrant, and I cannot kill someone who has served the country." Be loyal."
"Pass an order to bring a horse from the school yard and summon two blacksmiths from the Ordnance Supervisor to listen in front of the stage."
The eunuch hurriedly delivered the order.
Not long after, a rather ordinary war horse was led to the stage. There were ready-made weapons supervisor blacksmiths in Beida Camp. Two blacksmiths also came with a group of apprentices, carrying iron furnace hammers and other blacksmithing tools.
What happens next is simple.
Li Qinzai ordered someone to lift the horse's leg, roughly measure the length and width of the horse's shoe, and then draw a drawing of a horseshoe for the blacksmith.
The blacksmith understood it at a glance, and immediately started to make a fire to cast iron, and then began to bang it.
Soon the four horseshoes were finished, and after being cooled by quenching water, they were delivered to Li Qinzai.
The horseshoe was delivered to Li Zhi and Empress Wu. The couple looked at it carefully for a long time, their expressions becoming increasingly weird and complicated.
Such a simple thing can solve the age-old problem of horse hoof wear.
The wisdom of the predecessors was that there would be times when it was dark under the lamp, but no one thought of it for thousands of years.
Under the command of Li Qinzai, several soldiers raised the horses' legs and asked the blacksmith to shoe the horses' hooves.
After jingling for a while, four horseshoes were firmly nailed on the horses' hooves.
The war horse hissed in dissatisfaction, and then kept shaking its head and head. When it stepped, its four legs were quite uncoordinated, as if it was not used to the new shoes.
However, the war horse only adapted for a moment, and then gradually got used to it. The trot and trot were no different from usual, and the rhythm and pace became normal. The difference from ordinary war horses was that after the horseshoes were nailed, the sound of the horse's hoofs hitting the ground was different, and there was an obvious difference. metal knocking texture.
The monarchs and ministers watched this scene quietly, their eyes shining brightly, and the crowd gradually became restless.
Li Qinzai was not surprised. He saw that the horse was already running happily, so he saluted Li Zhi and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you order the soldiers to bring some gravel and sand, let the horse step over the gravel, and see what the effect is."
Li Zhi nodded repeatedly: "It's accurate."
There were more than 20,000 soldiers on the school field, and they quickly collected gravel. It didn't take long to pave a gravel road in the center of the school field.
A knight rode the horse and drove the horse back and forth ten times on the gravel road.
When he dismounted and looked at the horse's hoof again, he found that it was completely intact. The horseshoe was firmly nailed to the horse's shoe. The horse ran back and forth on the sharp gravel ten times without any damage to the horse's hoof.
The monarch and his ministers took a deep breath, and then everyone looked ecstatic.
Liang Jianfang was a very wretched old man, and his eyes were red at this moment, with tears welling up in his eyes.
Su Dingfang clenched his fists hard, unclenched them, and then clenched them again. It was obvious that he was in a very uneasy mood.
Li Jiqiang calmly stroked his beard, but his trembling hands betrayed his mood.
Qibi Heli was a Turkic man with the most straightforward temperament. When he saw this, he suddenly beat his chest with his fists, looked up to the sky and sighed: "If this thing had appeared in the world twenty years ago, I, the Tang Dynasty, would have already conquered the world. What about Goguryeo?" Baekje, Tubo, Tuyuhun, wherever horses’ hooves tread, are all Tang soil!”
Li Zhi's mood was also extremely agitated. He pursed his lips tightly and stared at the shoed horse.
After a long time, Li Zhi suddenly said: "Old general, how are the troops and horses of the Tang Dynasty today, and how much are they lost every year?"
Li Ji lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, since Zhenguan, the late Emperor Taizong established the horse administration in Longyou, setting up eight workshops and forty-eight prisons in a thousand miles away. By the first year of Longshuo, the Tang Dynasty had nearly 700,000 horses and young horses, which could be used as military horses. There are nearly 300,000 horses."
"Although there are many war horses, the damage is too high. In addition to the nearly 10,000 horses that die of disease and starvation every year, the biggest loss is that the horses' hoofs are worn out. The number has reached nearly 30,000 horses every year."
"Every war horse can go to the battlefield when it is three years old. However, after three or four years at most, it has to be retired from the battlefield because its hooves are worn and injured and cannot be used again."
"A horse usually has a lifespan of twenty years, but it can only be used for three or four years on the battlefield. The huge loss is really regrettable, and it is also a huge loss for our Tang Dynasty."
After Li Ji finished speaking, he took a deep look at Li Qinzai. His eyes were indescribably complicated, and he couldn't tell whether they were proud or sentimental.
Li Zhi also looked deeply at Li Qinzai and said: "If the horseshoes made by Li Qing are promoted in the army, what will happen to the old general in the future?"
Li Ji paused and suddenly said loudly and excitedly: "If this is the case, from now on, our cavalry of the Tang Dynasty will be invincible in the world, and wherever the horses' hooves tread, they will be Tang soil!"
This sentence seemed to ignite the long-suppressed emotions of the veterans. With a bang, the veterans put on their armor and worshiped: "Everywhere the horses' hooves tread is Tang soil! The Tang Dynasty will be victorious!"
Xue Rengui said loudly with tears in his eyes: "Your Majesty, I would like to ask for merit for Li Qinzai on behalf of the Tang Dynasty soldiers. A horseshoe can add tens of thousands of horses to the Tang Dynasty. The cavalry of the Tang Dynasty will no longer have to worry about the future. This is a huge contribution and will be remembered in history!" "
